Adjustable side-jaw wrench



Feb. 1952 s. E. G. HOGSTADIUS ADJUSTABLE SIDE-JAW WRENCH 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Feb. 27, 1947 aqzwms.

Patented Feb. 26, 1952 ADJUSTABLE SIDE-JAW WRENCH Svante Erik Gustaf Hiigstadius, Stockholm, Sweden Application February 27, 1947, Serial No. 731,349 In Sweden January 10, 1946 1 Claim.

The present invention refers to improvements in gripping tools, particularly in the type of gripping tools permitting of being used as adjustable wrenches, which are provided with a jaw rigidly connected to the tool handle and with a displaceably mounted jaw cooperating with Said fixed jaw. One object of the invention is to provide a gripping tool of this kind, wherein the movable jaw is adapted and formed for a stepwise feed in a direction toward the fixed jaw by means of a member operating as a step pawl and adapted to be actuated with the aid of an operating arm.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel adjustable wrench with two arms arranged alongside each other and forming together the handle of the tool, one of which arms constitutes the operating arm for the member acting as a step pawl.

Further objects and advantages will be set forth in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a gripping tool according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows the tool mechanism. Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view showing a modified construction in elevation. Fig. 5 shows a section on line 5-5 in Fig. 4.

The gripping tool according to Figs. 1-3 is provided with a jaw I, which is rigidly connected with a handle 2 of U-shaped cross section. An adjustable jaw 3 is provided with a prism-like body 4, which is guided in a channel 5 in the handle portion '2 and formed with teeth 6 along the rearwardly directed edge thereof. A member I in the form of a sliding block is provided with teeth 8 adapted to cooperate with the teeth 6 in the upward movement of said sliding block. The shifting of the sliding block in a downward direction is principally effected along a path of movement in which the sliding block is out of engagement with the prism 4. Such a shifting movement is obtained with the aid of a-lever 9, which is swingably mounted by means of a plate ID on part 2, said plate serving as a slide bearing, as well as by means of a pin I I, which latter engages a guide slot I2 in said levers. An operating arm I3 is made integral with said lever. A leaf spring I4 is rigidly connected, near the middle portion thereof, with the arm I3, and presses with one end thereof against the back portion of the outer end of the handle 2 and with the other end thereof against the sliding block 'I, and tends to keep the latter bearing on the operating arm 9 and with the teeth of the block engaging the teeth 6. By means of a detent or pawl member I5 on the spring I4 and an abutment IS on the arm 9, the sliding block is moved out of engagement with the prism 4, when the arm 9 is swung outwardly from the handle 2. For the purpose of retaining the arm 9 in engagement with the plate III, a spring I! is connected to the arm 9 together with the spring I4 and arranged to bear under pressure against the back portion of the handle 2 near the rigidly arranged jaw I. I

Fig. 2 shows the handles 2 and I3 in their position when brought together, that is to say, the sliding block I is in its highermost position and in engagement with the prism 4. When the handle I3 is released, it will be displaced in the spring I4 into a position, wherein the upper edge of the slot I2 bears on the pin It. During this change of the position of the arm 9, the sliding block snaps past one or a few teeth on the prism 4, and is then moved entirely out of engagement with the latter on account of the movement of the arm 9 in a direction from the prism under the influence of the slot I2. Said arm only bears on a portion of the bearing plate- III. The bringing together of the handles results in that the sliding block is again moved into engagement with the prism, so that the jaw 3 is entrained by one step in a direction toward the jaw I. The jaw 3 may be fed stepwise into its position of engagement by relatively small handle movements, and is caused in this position to bear with a great pressure on the body placed between the jaws.

In the use of the tool shown in Figs. 1-3 as an adjustable wrench, it will be found to be of advantage to be able to lock the arm I3 in a certain given position relatively to the handle 2, so that any adjusted distance between the jaws I and 3 is kept constant. This may be eifected by means of a locking device arranged at the outer end of the handle, said locking device comprising a bell crank lever I 9, 20 swingably mounted on a pin I8, the one arm I9 of said bell crank lever being adapted to be actuated by means of a button 22 displaceable in a slot 2!, the other arm 20 of the bell crank lever being formed with a tooth '23 normally cooperating with a rack 24 secured on the arm I3. The above-mentioned spring M bears on the arm I9, so that the tooth 23 is retained in engagement with said rack. The bell crank lever is shifted in a counter-clockwise direction by a displacement of the button 22 into engagement with the arm IS, the tooth 23 being thus moved out of engagement with the rack.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modification of the tool as described with reference to Fig. 1. Here, a fixed jaw 23 is rigidly connected with a handle 24 while being substantially enclosed by a s eeve 25 forming a guide for a shiitable jaw 26. This jaw is provided with a prism-like part 21 with looking teeth 28 provided along the inside thereof. The jaw 26 is shifted, in principle, in the same manner as the jaw 2 shown in Fig. 1, by the feature that a handle 23 formed as a jacket and enclosing the handle 24 is pivoted about a pin 30 and provided with a slot 3| extending obliquely to the direction of movement of the jaw 26, said slot being adapted to shift a pin 32 When the handle 29 performs its swinging movement. Said pin 32 is extended through a sliding block 33 movable in a recess 34 in the portion of the tool connected to the fixed jaw 23. Said sliding block is adapted to engage with teeth into the teeth 28 of the jaw 26. Here, the slot 3| is inclined relatively to the direction of movement of the jaw 26, in a manner such that the block 33 is pressed into engagement with the jaw 26, when the handles 24 and 29 are brought together, said block being thus caused to lift the jaw by one step during the upward sliding movement of the pin 32 in the slot 3|. When the handles 24 and 29 are removed from each other, which may be efiected by means of a spring 35, the sliding block 33 moves out of engagement with the teeth 28, whereas the pin 32 is moved into the lower portion of the slot 3| into the position shown in the figure. When the handles are brought together anew, the jaw will be advanced by a further step. A guide pin 36 on the inner part of the jaw 26 is adapted to run in a guide slot 37 in the part 25. The tool acner that said handle during the movement to and from said shank is caused to be moved in an axial direction, a dog loosely supported by the handle and provided with teeth cooperating with the teeth on said slidable jaw when said handle is moved toward said shank, the dog being disengaged from the teeth on the slidable jaw when the handle is moved in the opposite direction and brought by the handle to a new position in relation to the siidable jaw.

SVAN'IE ERIK 'GUSTAF I-IOGSTADIUS.

REFERENCES cheap The following" references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 993,504 Carlson May 30, 1911 1,007,101 Harris et a1. -1 Oct. 31, 1911 1,048,298 Daniels Dec. 24, 1912 1,056,693 Krahulic Mar. 18, 1913 1,307,592 Moss June 24, 1919 2,407,547 Gearhart Sept. 10, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1 Great Britain Mar. 23, 1897 

